The Ministry of Science and ICT (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon) held ‘Quantum Awareness Day’ on September 3 at the Daejeon office of the National Research Foundation of Korea. About 200 researchers from industry, academia and research institutes across fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, materials, chemistry and biotechnology gathered to discuss directions for convergence between quantum and other disciplines.
 [코리안투데이] Poster for the ‘Quantum Awareness Day’ event © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT explained that, following the government’s designation of the quantum field on August 12 as one of the ‘7 SEED’ next-generation frontier areas driving future growth and its announcement of a strategy to connect advanced technologies to future industries, it intends to accelerate implementation through this event. The event focused on raising researchers’ understanding of quantum technology across various fields and on broadening the base for research and development.
Quantum technology has recently seen its precision and performance rise rapidly as it combines with engineering technologies such as electronics, optics and mechanical engineering, and it is advancing in a mutually complementary way with artificial intelligence. While AI refines the error correction and control of quantum computers, quantum computing is drawing attention as a means to overcome the limits in computational load and power consumption that AI has run up against. Because such convergence is accelerating the advancement of quantum technology, the event brought together academic societies, researchers and industry figures from fields including AI and computer engineering, semiconductors and electronics, materials and chemistry, and new drugs and biotechnology.
The event consisted of invited lectures, project briefings, and intensive discussion with a question-and-answer session. In the invited lectures, Ahn Do-yeol, honorary distinguished professor at the University of Seoul, spoke on the theme ‘Beyond Quantum Machine Learning – Toward Science Foundation Models Led by the Laws of Physics,’ pointing out the limits of quantum machine learning that relies solely on data and presenting a direction toward science foundation models that internalize physical laws in learning. Ham Jae-kyun, head of a division at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), then spoke on ‘Building a Quantum Highway – Strategic Infrastructure Connecting Quantum Computers and Supercomputers,’ introducing a strategy for building a hybrid execution environment that links quantum computers and supercomputers.
At the project briefings, participants shared the progress and detailed planning directions of major new initiatives, including the ‘Quantum-AI Convergence Challenge Research Program,’ in which multidisciplinary research teams spanning quantum, AI and computer science derive cases of solving scientific and industrial challenges, and the ‘Ion Trap and Photonic Integrated Circuit Quantum Processor Core Technology Development Program,’ which requires the participation of researchers in semiconductors, electronics and optics. In the intensive discussion and Q&A that followed, opinions from the research field, such as proposals for new research topics, were gathered.
The event ran from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. that day at the Jeongyeon Hall of the Research Foundation’s Daejeon office, and was attended by around 200 people, including the Ministry’s Director-General for R&D Policy, the Foundation’s Head of National Strategic Research and its Head of the Quantum Technology Group, as well as industry figures such as the Quantum Industry Association and officials from academic societies in the quantum, AI, semiconductor, physics, chemistry and biotechnology fields.
Kim Sung-soo, Director-General for R&D Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, ‘Quantum is not a task for quantum researchers alone; researchers who best understand the challenges of each industry can join together to accelerate innovation.’ He added, ‘For the swift implementation of the quantum field among the 7 SEED areas, we plan to continue pursuing initiatives that lower the barriers to entry so that industry, academic and research researchers from diverse fields can take part in national R&D programs in the quantum field, and that support multidisciplinary convergence and the discovery of industrial use cases.’
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
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